2 Paws, 2 Pups, 1 Mission; Healing
Tax deductible
It has been an emotionally draining week for the GSRNJ volunteers. As animal rescuers, we see, hear and deal with instances of abuse and neglect all the time. Its heartbreaking and frustrating to say the least. And the sad reality is that both instances could have been prevented.
Our volunteers have shed a lot of tears and have felt so many emotions this week. We've cried tears of sadness and fear, to crying tears of relief and thankfulness. We've gone from feeling anger and disgust, to feeling hopeful and grateful.
Both of these dogs have a very long road to recovery. But we are here to help them along the way. The medical expenses for Kane and Rocko will be a huge financial burden for us. But we are determined to do what we can for them both. As a 100% volunteer group, we sustain ourselves on our adoption fees, fundraising and donations. So please, if you can find in your heart to help us along the way, we would greatly appreciate it.
This is the story of Kane and Rocco…
Kane
Kane first came onto our radar on August 8th when we received a owner referral form for him from his owner. What we were told was that Kane injured himself while trying to to get out of the yard. He somehow caught his leg on the fence and may have broken his leg. He was like that for weeks. Kane could put no pressure on it and it was just hanging limp from his body. You see, Kane was a family pet until the family had a child. A story we hear all too often in rescue. And as a result, Kane was left alone unattended in the yard more and more when he got himself injured trying to get back into the home…TO HIS FAMILY. Imagine that!
The owner refused to medically treat Kane and instead was looking to rehome him or was prepared to have him euthanized since working with rescue was so difficult. [Insert rant here.] All we asked was for him to get an x-ray performed to see what we were dealing with. Thankfully our friends at Tip Top Kennel was able to assess him and get the necessary x-rays of his leg to see what needed to be done. The leg was not broken. It was a simple dislocation that could have been addressed immediately. But because it went without treatment for so long, surgery was now necessary. [Insert yet another rant here.]
Kane’s surgery was performed by our friends at Crown Veterinary Specialists in Lebanon, New Jersey on Friday, August 31st. Surgery took longer than expected as there was a significant amount of scar tissue that needed to be removed. They also spent time smoothing out the bone as it had become rough and no longer fit securely. The doctors are hopeful that the cartilage will eventually grow around the socket, and with physical therapy, develop the muscles to secure the leg in place. Should this work out, Kane will have a limp for life and will possibly develop arthritis in that leg. However, should the shoulder pop out again, we were told that Kane will be facing amputation. All because the leg was left WITHOUT medical treatment for so long.
Kane will be entering a foster home who will help him with his rehabilitation. He has a splint on his leg to keep it as immobile as possible. When ready, he will start a physical therapy program. It will take months until he is ready for adoption but we will keep you updated on his progress along the way. He is a sweet, sweet boy who deserves a family that will love him.
Rocko
On August 30th, GSRNJ received a concerned email in regards to a 4 month old german shepherd puppy that needed emergency medical attention. Rocko was struck by a car approximately two weeks ago. The owner took the injured dog to Garden State Veterinary Specialists for medical attention, but due to insufficient funds and inability to secure credit, did the bare minimum to provide the help that Rocko needed.
With x-rays, Garden State was able to determine that Rocko had a broken shoulder blade with complete nerve damage on his left front leg and possible nerve damage in his neck and right leg as well. After stabilizing Rocko however they could, they suggested to the owner that they take a "wait and see approach", hoping that Rocko may regain some sensitivity in his left leg so that he would not have to lose it and do surgery at a later date.
The owner, refusing to listen to the doctors' advice in regards to Rocko's follow up care, allowed Rocko full activity with minimal wound care. As a result, Rocko developed a severe infection in the broken leg, while also causing injury to his good right front leg.
It took GSRNJ volunteers much effort to convince the owner to surrender Rocko so that he could receive proper medical attention. Knowing we needed to act swiftly, once GSRNJ gained custody of Rocko we immediately took him to Garden State to get him the much needed treatment he needed. Their initial assessment was not good. Due to the owner’s negligent care, Rocko 100% definitely needed to lose the left leg. And there was a 30% chance of possible amputation of his right leg as well due to infection and the further damage of walking when he should have been on the closest thing to cage rest. His poor paw was all swollen and bloody from knuckle dragging! Their first task was to get his vitals stable and run the necessary tests to prep him for surgery.
On August 31st, we had our assessment with Drs. Newgent and Scavelli. They determined that they WOULD have to amputate his left broken leg. There was no way to save it. They were confident that his right leg would be fine. He suffered minimal nerve damage in the leg and with proper wound care, the leg should be fine. He will have an abnormal walk but being that he is young, should be able to adapt to walking on three legs. They said it would take WEEKS OR MONTHS, for him to have a full recovery. And as long as we were committed to his care, they believe he will be fine. AND WE ARE COMMITTED!
Rocko is now resting comfortably after surgery and is doing well. While he was under, we asked for additional x-rays of his neck and everything looked good. Prior to surgery Rocko did spike a very high fever which was due to his infected leg. Now that the leg is gone, we are expecting that to improve. Rocko will be staying under Garden State’s care for the next few days and will be going into foster care to allow him to heal.
GSRNJ is determined to give Rocko the best quality of life that we can. After everything he has been through in his short life, he deserves nothing less! We’ll give you updates on Rocko and his progression along the way. Through it all, Rocko is still a cute, sweet, goofy puppy. Let's give him a chance at becoming a loyal companion.
BILLS BILLS BILLS
The bills are mounting up! Check out these costs our non-profit have extended so far.
ROCCO: $5,213.77
KANE: $3,443.62
Our volunteers have shed a lot of tears and have felt so many emotions this week. We've cried tears of sadness and fear, to crying tears of relief and thankfulness. We've gone from feeling anger and disgust, to feeling hopeful and grateful.
Both of these dogs have a very long road to recovery. But we are here to help them along the way. The medical expenses for Kane and Rocko will be a huge financial burden for us. But we are determined to do what we can for them both. As a 100% volunteer group, we sustain ourselves on our adoption fees, fundraising and donations. So please, if you can find in your heart to help us along the way, we would greatly appreciate it.
This is the story of Kane and Rocco…
Kane
Kane first came onto our radar on August 8th when we received a owner referral form for him from his owner. What we were told was that Kane injured himself while trying to to get out of the yard. He somehow caught his leg on the fence and may have broken his leg. He was like that for weeks. Kane could put no pressure on it and it was just hanging limp from his body. You see, Kane was a family pet until the family had a child. A story we hear all too often in rescue. And as a result, Kane was left alone unattended in the yard more and more when he got himself injured trying to get back into the home…TO HIS FAMILY. Imagine that!
The owner refused to medically treat Kane and instead was looking to rehome him or was prepared to have him euthanized since working with rescue was so difficult. [Insert rant here.] All we asked was for him to get an x-ray performed to see what we were dealing with. Thankfully our friends at Tip Top Kennel was able to assess him and get the necessary x-rays of his leg to see what needed to be done. The leg was not broken. It was a simple dislocation that could have been addressed immediately. But because it went without treatment for so long, surgery was now necessary. [Insert yet another rant here.]
Kane’s surgery was performed by our friends at Crown Veterinary Specialists in Lebanon, New Jersey on Friday, August 31st. Surgery took longer than expected as there was a significant amount of scar tissue that needed to be removed. They also spent time smoothing out the bone as it had become rough and no longer fit securely. The doctors are hopeful that the cartilage will eventually grow around the socket, and with physical therapy, develop the muscles to secure the leg in place. Should this work out, Kane will have a limp for life and will possibly develop arthritis in that leg. However, should the shoulder pop out again, we were told that Kane will be facing amputation. All because the leg was left WITHOUT medical treatment for so long.
Kane will be entering a foster home who will help him with his rehabilitation. He has a splint on his leg to keep it as immobile as possible. When ready, he will start a physical therapy program. It will take months until he is ready for adoption but we will keep you updated on his progress along the way. He is a sweet, sweet boy who deserves a family that will love him.
Rocko
On August 30th, GSRNJ received a concerned email in regards to a 4 month old german shepherd puppy that needed emergency medical attention. Rocko was struck by a car approximately two weeks ago. The owner took the injured dog to Garden State Veterinary Specialists for medical attention, but due to insufficient funds and inability to secure credit, did the bare minimum to provide the help that Rocko needed.
With x-rays, Garden State was able to determine that Rocko had a broken shoulder blade with complete nerve damage on his left front leg and possible nerve damage in his neck and right leg as well. After stabilizing Rocko however they could, they suggested to the owner that they take a "wait and see approach", hoping that Rocko may regain some sensitivity in his left leg so that he would not have to lose it and do surgery at a later date.
The owner, refusing to listen to the doctors' advice in regards to Rocko's follow up care, allowed Rocko full activity with minimal wound care. As a result, Rocko developed a severe infection in the broken leg, while also causing injury to his good right front leg.
It took GSRNJ volunteers much effort to convince the owner to surrender Rocko so that he could receive proper medical attention. Knowing we needed to act swiftly, once GSRNJ gained custody of Rocko we immediately took him to Garden State to get him the much needed treatment he needed. Their initial assessment was not good. Due to the owner’s negligent care, Rocko 100% definitely needed to lose the left leg. And there was a 30% chance of possible amputation of his right leg as well due to infection and the further damage of walking when he should have been on the closest thing to cage rest. His poor paw was all swollen and bloody from knuckle dragging! Their first task was to get his vitals stable and run the necessary tests to prep him for surgery.
On August 31st, we had our assessment with Drs. Newgent and Scavelli. They determined that they WOULD have to amputate his left broken leg. There was no way to save it. They were confident that his right leg would be fine. He suffered minimal nerve damage in the leg and with proper wound care, the leg should be fine. He will have an abnormal walk but being that he is young, should be able to adapt to walking on three legs. They said it would take WEEKS OR MONTHS, for him to have a full recovery. And as long as we were committed to his care, they believe he will be fine. AND WE ARE COMMITTED!
Rocko is now resting comfortably after surgery and is doing well. While he was under, we asked for additional x-rays of his neck and everything looked good. Prior to surgery Rocko did spike a very high fever which was due to his infected leg. Now that the leg is gone, we are expecting that to improve. Rocko will be staying under Garden State’s care for the next few days and will be going into foster care to allow him to heal.
GSRNJ is determined to give Rocko the best quality of life that we can. After everything he has been through in his short life, he deserves nothing less! We’ll give you updates on Rocko and his progression along the way. Through it all, Rocko is still a cute, sweet, goofy puppy. Let's give him a chance at becoming a loyal companion.
BILLS BILLS BILLS
The bills are mounting up! Check out these costs our non-profit have extended so far.
ROCCO: $5,213.77
KANE: $3,443.62
Fundraising team: GSRNJ Family (3)
Bucky Buchanan
Organizer
Pennington, NJ
German Shepherd Rescue of New Jersey Inc (Gsrnj)
Registered nonprofit
Donations are typically 100% tax deductible in the US.
L D
Team member
L F.
Team member
Inspired to help? Start a fundraiser for someone you know
